3 ms·
Could we in theory just build up any kind of creature from scratch if we write out its genome? How would we compile it into organic matter?
by xwdv 3y ago
Could we in theory just build up any kind of creature from scratch if we write out its genome? How would we compile it into organic matter?
- jakobnissen 3y agoNo, this is not technically possible. Cells are simply to complex to just build using humanity's current level of technology. The closest thing we have done is to fully synthesize a bacterium's genome, remove the genome from a bacterial cell, then transplant the synthetic genome into the cell and have the cell survive: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycoplasma_laboratorium https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycoplasma_laboratorium That's insanely cool, but very far from what you are asking. An analogy: We have re-installed the operating system of an existing computer, when you are asking whether we can manufacture a computer.
- globular-toast 3y agoThere's a bootstrapping problem. You need something to run the code. An egg cell and sperm cell contain loads of other stuff in addition to the genome and the only way to get that stuff is from the genome... It's like if you had a program to 3D print a 3D printer but you don't have a 3D printer that can read that program. It's all ridiculously complicated. To get an idea about it you could learn about how simple RNA viruses like influenza or HIV replicate. It's easy enough for anyone to understand. But no single person can fully understand humans (or other mammals, plants etc, we're not special in that respect).